The inactivation of airborne microorganisms as a method of inhibiting the transmission of disease can be achieved through the use of airborne air sanitizers, air disinfectants, and air sterilizers (hereafter disinfectants). Diffusion controlled encounters between airborne microorganisms and disinfectants serves as a basis for inactivation of the microorganism by mechanisms that are microorganism and disinfectant specific.
As a result of the requirement for diffusion controlled encounters between the airborne microorganism and disinfectants, a necessary step in the microorganism inactivation process, the rate of microorganism inactivation by the disinfectant is dependent upon the rate of the microorganism-disinfectant encounters. The rate of the encounters can be represented as a second-order kinetic process. The rate of a second-order event can be defined as a function of the airborne concentrations of the two reacting components, the microorganism and the disinfectant. The airborne concentration of the disinfectant is therefore an important parameter controlling the rate of airborne microorganism inactivation by airborne disinfectant and therefore the control of the airborne concentration of the disinfectant is critical for any air disinfection process.